Facing the challenges of aging and fewer members, the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland began a discernment process to plan for the future of their ministries. This led to the creation of Mercy Wellsprings, a new legal entity established to oversee and support their sponsored ministries.
As the members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland increase in age and diminish in numbers the Congregation, in conversation with colleagues, engaged in a discernment process regarding the future. A decision was made by the general assembly of the sisters, the 22 General Chapter (2021), to establish a legal entity that would oversee and carry out the governance of the various “sponsored ministries” of the Congregation. That entity, a legal corporation, was registered on August 10, 2023 as Mercy Wellsprings, Incorporated. As of January 1, 2025, Mercy Wellsprings was acknowledged as a registered charity.
There are currently seven ministries sponsored by and reporting to the Congregational Leadership Team: St. Patrick’s Mercy Home, St. Patrick’s Mercy Home Foundation, St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital Advisory Council, The Gathering Place, Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice, Belvedere Orphanage Fund and Misericordia Mission Fund.
Most of these ministries have legal status according to the Companies Act (Province of Newfoundland and Labrador), have a Board of Directors and a certain level of autonomy in the governance and management of their specific activities. Most have registered charity status according to Canadian Federal Government regulations.
Sisters of Mercy NL Congregation – Mercy Wellsprings Transition
